Local Journalist and Residents Aid Refugees

What do a Canadian journalist, Burmese refugees, and the good folks of the Annapolis Valley have in common?

The Su Bote Chan School Project.

On Sunday, Annapolis County supporters of the Thai school started by a Middleton  journalist for those refugees will be looking for some help.

A ‘Gigantic Fundraising Bake and Yard Sale’ is set for Natal Day, Sunday, Aug. 1 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Annapolis Royal Farmers and Traders Market. All proceeds go directly to the Su Bote Chan School Project. For pickup/delivery call Marilyn Lawson 532-1335 or Bill Shean 532-0682. Or bring items directly to the Annapolis Farmers and Traders Market on Sunday between 9 and 11 a.m.

Su Bote Chan is a Burmese refugee school, just inside the Thai border, at Mae Sot, northwestern Thailand. The project is almost entirely funded by individual donations from Annapolis Valley residents. The Su Bote Chan school was founded by local Valley resident and journalist, Paul Pickrem.

Thirty children ages five to 12 are skillfully taught together: four languages (Karen, Burmese, Thai, English), plus math, art, music, as well as the social skills needed to navigate in their world.

This is where many students, whose families live in conditions similar to a refugee camp, receive their most nutritious meal of the day.

Pickrem, a former reporter for The Spectator, is an award-winning journalist and humanitarian

Story by: Lawrence Powell

The Annapolis County Spectator, July 27, 2010